1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to coverings for windows and doors or the like, and in particular to a glide which permits curtains to be hung from conventional vertical blind hardware.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional vertical blinds, each vertical strip or vane is clipped at the top by a glide, to hang from the glide. Glides snap into one of a number of carriers, which run along a downwardly-opening generally U-shaped track, usually placed atop a window so that the blinds can hang down over the window. The carriers are slidable along the length of the track, secured within the length of the track. The carriers are linked together along the track by spacer link pieces of equal length. These spacer link pieces are designed to slide out and extend evenly along the entire track. An end spacer link piece is attached to one end of the track unit. Spacer link pieces are slidably connected to one another, so that the spacer link pieces can move from a bunched up position to a spread out position. In the bunched up position, the spacer link pieces overlap each other. In the spread out position, they extend evenly over the entire track. Each carrier is positioned on one spacer link piece, and is free to slide along each spacer link piece, but is prevented from moving off each piece by a stopper at each end. Because the spacer link pieces are of equal length, the carriers become evenly spaced along the track when the spacer link pieces are fully spread out along the track. The spacer link pieces and the attached carriers are movable from the bunched up position to the spread out position by means of a cord or by means of a wand which is attached to the end carrier, which is itself is attached to the end spacer link piece. In the cord system, the cord runs the entire length of the track and is operable by a pulley system at one end of the track, allowing the carriers to be moved from the bunched up position (leaving the window exposed) to the spread out position (covering the window). Because the carriers are evenly spaced along the track, the blinds hang adjacent to each other, uniformly spaced across the entire length of the track.
Each glide has a body portion and an elongated upwardly extending piece. The upwardly extending piece is inserted and locked into the downward opening in each carrier. The body portion of the glide extends downwardly from the carrier and has a clip mechanism into which the vertical vanes can be clipped into and hung.
The use of curtains as window decoration and/or as window shading is often preferred over vertical blinds for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetically, curtains are often preferred over vertical blinds because they may be more appropriate for the decor of a room given colour, texture, length and overall appearance. An important part of the aesthetic appeal created by curtains is the pleating of the curtain along its top edge. Pleats are created when the curtain material is bunched together. Preferably, when the curtain is drawn, evenly spaced pleats are formed along the top edge of the curtains. These evenly spaced pleats create a neat visual appearance to the curtain. Utilizing vertical blind units to hang curtains would be a significant improvement in the use of curtains because they would ensure even pleating of the curtain since the carriers are evenly spaced along the blind track.
Functionally, curtains are often preferred oververtical blinds because they can block the transmission of light through a window more effectively than vertical blinds due to the inevitable gaps which occur between the vertical strips of vertical blinds. Also, when wind acts upon vertical blinds, they tend to cause considerably more noise and movement than wind acting on curtains.
A disadvantage to the use of curtains is that they are not as conveniently opened and closed as vertical blinds using the above disclosed track units. Curtains are typically opened and closed by securing a rod or cord to the end of the curtain which is used to pull open or close the curtain. Often, this causes the curtains to bunch unevenly. As such, it is the object of the invention to make curtains adaptable for use with vertical blind track units. Presently, vertical blind track units are not adaptable to hold curtains because the glides which clip vertical blind strips and attach to the carriers in vertical blind units are not adaptable to hold curtains. The present invention improves on the prior art by creating a fastener which allows the attachment of curtains to vertical blind track carriers so that curtains can be utilized on vertical blind track systems.